Creating a healthy, consistent, and growth-oriented routine is difficult for most individuals, especially college students. With ever-changing responsibilities, balancing a regimen alongside one’s academics, work, relationships, and personal health seems nearly unachievable. However, two of our executive members, Milan Oppewall and Ava Nguyen, have graciously shared the insights they’ve discovered during their time at Ohio State.
Milan Oppewall fell in love with Women in Business from the moment she attended her first meeting as a freshman. That same year, she joined the philanthropy committee, then was elected as Vice President of External Relations her sophomore year. Currently, in her third year of college, Milan serves as the President of WIB and the head of the DEI committee. When explaining her role as President, Milan referred to her position as the ‘WIB handywoman,’ with most of her responsibility being to support the other executive members when needed. Milan is also the President of FisherCares and remains involved in the Business Scholars Program. When her schedule allows for it, she attends meetings for the Human Resources Association as well. Outside of university organizations, Milan is a teaching assistant for Business Statistics. Milan is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business, specializing in Human Resources and minoring in organization and performance psychology.
Ava Nguyen is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Business with a focus in Accounting, while actively working towards acceptance into the combined bachelor's and master's program for Accounting. Serving as the current Vice President of Professional Development, Ava is responsible for coordinating and hosting professional events for Women in Business. So far this school year, she has successfully organized events such as Business Bootcamp, Women in Investing, a case competition, mock interviews, fall office hours, and study groups. Ava also works part-time as a student supervisor at the Student Engagement Center. Additionally, she has resumed her internship with C.O.R.E Tax Services this semester after interning for the company this past summer.
Balancing Your Priorities
When speaking with Milan and Ava, I recognized their similar yet different approaches to organizing and maintaining their responsibilities. In regards to planning daily tasks, both women explained their philosophy as putting mandatory activities – those that must be attended or completed that day – in their calendars. Expanding on this, Milan explained that planning out every detail of her day leads to feeling guilty when her plans take a turn and she isn’t able to complete everything she had intended to do. With this in mind, she often creates lists of what needs to be done by the end of the day or week and just includes her daily “must dos” on her Apple calendar.
Alongside using her Google calendar to organize her responsibilities, Ava has set non-negotiables to maintain a social life outside of academics and work. A boundary Ava has placed for her internship is not working after 5 PM on weekdays, allowing her evenings to be for schoolwork, friends, or WIB. On Saturdays, she takes a break from school and work, while using Sundays to prepare for the week ahead, completing a majority of her assignments. Ava has found writing out her responsibilities in the order of priority at the beginning of each semester has helped her to remain focused on what is most important. For example, school would come first, with her internship second, WIB as third, and so on.
Taking Care of Yourself and Your Space
Finding time for things and people that bring you joy is extremely important to maintaining a positive headspace. Each day, Ava finds something to look forward to, whether it is her line dancing class on Mondays or WIB Wednesdays. She also enjoys listening to music and podcasts when walking to class, going to sleep, or working. As for Milan, she spends a lot of time with her best friend who also happens to be her roommate. Some of Milan’s favorite things to do include hosting her friends at her apartment, finding the best happy hour meal deals, and attending events at the Schottenstein Center. Milan followed up by explaining how beneficial it is to surround yourself with people who you know will love and support you. She also stressed the importance of being proactive about your mental health and getting the help you need, which includes taking medications if necessary.
It’s often said that the state of your space reflects the state of your mind. Milan and Ava both live in apartments where they share spaces with their roommates. A saying that has helped Milan maintain a clean environment is ‘Don’t put it down, put it away.’ Taking a couple of seconds in the moment to do a task, has helped prevent built-up messes in her space. Similarly, Ava has small tasks she does daily, such as making her bed and putting her things in their designated spot, that keep her space organized.
Bouncing Back From a Bump in the Road
Bumps in the road happen to all of us at one point or another, but realizing you have the power to control how you react and respond to the situation is crucial. Ava sees “every day as a new day,” allowing her to leave unfavorable situations in the past. She relies on her support system to talk through difficult times and recommends seeing a therapist for additional help. Milan pointed out that getting enough sleep is essential to reduce stress and recover from hardships.
Our wonderful President and VP of Professional Development shared many valuable tips and resources they have found helpful in balancing all their priorities; however, finding a routine that works for you is ever-changing and unique for each individual. While it could be extremely beneficial to adopt elements of the advice they have provided, do not feel pressured to flip your world upside down because it doesn’t look identical to the routines Ava and Milan have implemented. Focus on your wants and needs, and build habits that satisfy them.
Additional Resources Recommended by Milan & Ava
Using your BuckID to get free entrance into OSU sporting events
Works for all events except football and men’s basketball
Fisher Office of Career Management
Offers many classes for professional development
Career and speaker opportunities in their emails
Interview prep
Free workout classes through the recreation centers for full-time students
Fisher Passport Scholarship
COTA & OSU buses
Wilce Student Health Center
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